Ten accused of breaking Covid-19 directive; three plead guilty

Ten men who were charged with breaching sections of the Emergency Management (Covid-19) Directive, 2020 on May 16, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes today.

Three of them pleaded guilty to the charges, were sentenced and given time to pay fines while the others who pleaded not guilty were granted bail and given new court dates.

Ramario Amir Dacosta Moaze, 24, of Harewood Road, Hillaby, St Andrew admitted that he contravened Paragraph (23) of the Emergency Management (Covid-19) Curfew (No.4) Directive imposed on the island that mandated that every person remain indoors. He was outdoors at Bawdens Hill, St Andrew at 5:56 p.m. without reasonable excuse.

Sergeant Theodore McClean in prosecuting his case told the Chief Magistrate that police responded to the area and on arrival Moaze was seen trying to get away in a vehicle. Appearing before the District ‘D’ Magistrates’ Court today Moaze apologised and was fined $4,000 to be paid in 16 weeks. If he fails to pay the amount he will spend six months in prison.

Dwain Damian Grant, 34, of Haynesville, St James also pleaded guilty to the same charge when he was found outdoors at 12 p.m. and could not give lawmen a reasonable excuse. The facts surrounding his charge were similar to Moaze. But after putting forward his defence, he was ordered to pay the court $3,500 in 16 weeks or spend six months in prison.

The third man who pleaded guilty was Adrian Ricardo Redman, 46, of Medford Land, Daryells Road, St Michael. He was also at Bawdens around 12 p.m. The prosecutor revealed that Redman told police that he and another man went looking for coconuts and “then went and watch cock fighting”.

He told Chief Magistrate Weekes this afternoon that he went with the other man because “I is a fisherman and nothing ain’t going on”. He said with bills to pay, “the little extra money” helps as things were “really bad”.

Weekes informed him that was the case for a lot of people in the country.

“I understand things tight but we all want to live and unless we do it in a systematic way we are exposing each other to this virus . . . and it will impact the economy further,” the chief magistrate said.

Redman, who is known to the court, now has to pay $4,000 in 16 weeks or face a six-month prison term.

The remaining seven men all pleaded not guilty and were granted $3,000 bail each to appear in the District ‘D’ Magistrates’ Court on different dates.

Elroy Emmerson Nanton, 36, of Bridgefield, St Thomas is accused of being outdoors around 1:30 p.m. and Kareem Jakar Williams, 31, of the same address is alleged to have been outdoors at 12:15 p.m. without reasonable explanation during a national curfew. Both were allegedly at Bawdens and they were ordered to return before Weekes on July 27.

August 31 is the adjournment date for the cases against Jamar Elon Wilkinson, 30, of Branchbury, St Joseph and Mario Rolando Winter, 29, of Lot 65 Apes Hill, St James. They too are also accused of breaching the Curfew Directive (No.3) by being outdoors at 1:30 p.m. without reasonable explanation.

Accused curfew breakers Wayne Alphonso Clarke, 43, of Dunscombe, St Thomas and Anthony John Chow, 35, of Harts Gap, Christ Church are alleged to have contravened the same directive while at Bawdens, St Andrew. Clarke is alleged to have been outdoors at 1:30 p.m. and Chow at 4 p.m., without reasonable excuse. The two will make their next court appearances on July 28.

Omar Darcy Goring, 31, of No. 17 Hinds Hill Development, St Michael is alleged to have contravened the Curfew Directive (No.4) when he was outdoors at 12 p.m. without reasonable explanation. The accused’s next appearance at District ‘D’ Magistrates’ court will be on July 28.